The Awami League government’s rule of almost 16 consecutive years has ended from a student-led mass uprising recently. The beginning of the uprising came from a movement demanding reform of quota system in government jobs. There was extensive participation of private university students in this movement. Nazifa Jannat, a coordinator of ‘Students Against Discrimination’ in East West University led private university students during the movement in Rampura area of the capital. She gave an interview with Prothom Alo's Asif Howlader.
The tendency to take government job exams like BCS is considered to be relatively low among the private university students. Yet you participated extensively in the movement demanding quota reforms. What exactly was your drive in this case?
It was inclusive of everything. It is believed that private university students tend to go abroad or are more interested in private jobs. But the movement this time involved a question of reformation of the country. It’s not right that as a private university student one should participate only in those movements that are consistent with their own interests and not stand by the interests concerning all students.
It has been proven through this movement that we can unite forgetting the differences between public and private universities against any discrimination when it comes to the demands of all the students. We basically wanted to put an end to discrimination. From that perspective, private universities students have participated in the movement this time in greater numbers.
How were private university students organised or motivated to join the movement?
When people were being suppressed in different places, when the gruesome photographs were flashing before us or when Abu Sayeed was shot dead, we actually had no other choice but to be organised. The university students joined the movement from their own standpoints. We thought to ourselves that police shooting and beating the students it cannot be the picture of Bangladesh!
Students of private universities spontaneously joined the movement against this repression. As the time demanded, leaders or coordinators have also been created from amongst the students. Students usually circulate about the programmes using social media. After the internet was shut down, we kept in touch with each other through text messages. We tried to send a common message to everyone. Once the broadband internet resumed, we restored communication again using social media and various messaging apps.
After the fall of Awami League government in the face of the student-led mass uprising, two coordinators of the ‘Students Against Discrimination’ platform became advisors in the interim government. Was there any advice from your side?
I was involved in the process as a representative from the private universities. But the string of incidents kept happening very fast. When it was taking time to form the government, we were worried with everything including the possibility of coups, counter coups and the deterioration of the law and order situation. At that our number one priority was to form a government. And the situation was not favourable for coherent suggestions in consultation with everyone at that moment.
Now when the movement has ended, what are the thoughts of the private university students?
We too are a part of the ‘Students Against Discrimination’ platform. Students of the private universities through a mass uprising have forced the autocratic government to resign. In the ongoing process of building an inclusive country in the future, we strongly want to be with the interim government in the movement to establish a non-communal and humanitarian Bangladesh. We make the call for the process of the country’s transformation to be beneficial for all and that we (students of private universities) also have equal participation in this process.
What are your expectations of the interim government?
We don’t want to go back to the Bangladesh with the sort of mis-governance and corruption we saw and the way human rights were undermined during the last regime. Our number one demand is that the future Bangladesh will be a ‘better Bangladesh’. We want an inclusive country. No radical force should come in and disrupt the common wish of all and the regular democratic process created through the mass uprising. And that a peaceful environment can be established for all.